Backyard wrestling can be a great way to bring a bunch of friends together to do something that you all love. If you do it regularly, you could even make your own little amateur league and advertise matches locally. Don’t think that this is something you can throw together in an afternoon though. It’s important that you spend time adequate preparing for your wrestling match to ensure that everyone enjoys themselves and stays safe at the same time.

Steps

Method1

Preparing for the Match

1

Choose a safe place to hold the match. Safety should be your top priority, as wrestling moves can cause be dangerous if not performed carefully in an unsuitable environment. They can cause serious, permanent injuries or even death.[1] Choose a space where you won’t run the risk of running into walls or fences. It should be flat so you don’t twist your ankle or hurt yourself landing on something jutting out of the ground.

You’re going to be hitting the ground a lot, so it’s best to wrestle on something with some give. If you can afford it, the best option is to buy some gymnastics mats to lay out for your ring. If this isn’t an option for you, grass is also a viable surface to wrestle on. You just have to make sure you thoroughly check the ring for sticks, stones, and other debris.

If you are planning on having guests attend, take where they will sit or stand into consideration so they don’t interfere with the action or get hurt. Plan for allowing a good five feet or so between the edge of the ring and the first row of observers.

2

Create a wrestling persona. In wrestling there are heroes and villains, brave combatants and cowardly tricksters. Drama is half the fun of wrestling, so spend some time coming up with a good character and backstory. Memorize the important details of your backstory so you can reference them during matches and work them into your banter.

If you’re having trouble inventing a backstory, think about the questions it should try to answer: Why do you wrestle? What events shaped the course of your life? What’s your outlook on the world? Do you have any wrestling partners or rivals?

3

Make your costume. Every wrestler needs a costume that helps display their personality and attitude. It might be a good idea to find clothes specifically for this, since they are probably going to be ruined afterwards. Be careful to avoid anything with zippers and metal buttons or spikes since these can cut you.

Thrift stores are a good place to look for cheap clothes for wrestling. They often have weird and funky items that are perfect for wrestling costumes. Make sure you can move around in anything you buy there so you can wrestle comfortably.

You can make your own costume if you’re feeling crafty. Buy some heavy-duty spandex fabric and some quality polyester thread for your costume. They’re stretchy, which makes them perfect for wrestling. Unless you have a lot of sewing experience, buy a pattern online for the piece you are trying to make. Use a zig zag or stretch stitch to sew a strong stitch that will stretch before it tears. [2]

4

Find someone who will referee. You need a referee to officiate the match. If you have a lot of friends who like wrestling, this shouldn’t be too much trouble. Give them a black and white striped shirt to serve as their uniform. You should create a set of rules that is agreed upon by all the wrestlers and make the referee responsible for knowing and enforcing them.

While the ref is supposed to call a fair match, it can cause a bit of fun and drama if both wrestlers agree to have the ref favor one of the wrestlers while officiating.

5

Practice safe wrestling moves. The point of backyard wrestling is to have fun, not hurt your friends. Make sure you practice with them beforehand so you know how to spar without actually hurting each other. Practice a variety of moves like shoves, counters, clotheslines, dropkicks and leg drops. You can make contact, but don’t put enough force in it for your blows to actually hurt.[3]

Make up and practice at least one finisher, but do not attempt any moves that involve slamming the opponents head, neck, or back into the ground, as these can cause permanent and life-altering injury or even death. These look cool on television, but they practice for hours every day so they can perform them safely.

Method2

Wrestling in Your Backyard

1

Make a cool entrance. Your entrance should tell people about your character while getting everyone hyped up for the match. Consider having a signature song that plays when you enter the ring that gets you and the audience excited. In general, it’s a good idea to include the audience if possible. Something like tearing a sign supporting your opponent out of a fan’s hand can really make a match more intense.

2

Exchange opening blows. Don’t go for a crazy move right off the bat. You want to slowly build up tension and draw people into the fight. Push your opponent around and take a few hits from them. Don’t just charge right at your adversary and try to tackle them. You should circle around each other in the ring for a little bit to help increase the drama. Add more and more intense moves like body slams and arm drags until the fight has reached a climax and you know it’s time to finish it.

3

Break out the signature moves and finishers. Ideally you will have come up with a few original moves, since the overwhelming majority of WWE finishers aren’t suitable for backyard wrestling. They should be dramatic and incorporate showmanship, as these will be your finest moments as a wrestler. Come up with a unique name for your finisher so people will associate you with it. [4]

4

Pin your opponent. Don’t drag out the match by sparring endlessly. When you're ready to pin them, hold your opponent’s shoulders against the ground and get on top of them so they can’t wriggle away. The referee should come over to make sure that they are actually pinned. If you can pin them until the ref counts to three, then you have won the match.

5

Celebrate your win or deal with your defeat. Congratulations, you just finished your first backyard wrestling match! Did you come out on top or fail to beat your adversary? The ref will lift the victor’s fist into the air and declare them the winner while holding the loser’s hand by their side. Exchange your final words and walk off the stage so the next round can begin.

The way you end the match should embody the personality you made for your wrestler during the preparation stage. Sore losers should taunt the winner by insinuating that it wasn’t a fair match or otherwise insulting them. Good guys should win humbly and respect their opponent, but even they have their limits. Whatever you do, take advantage of the opportunity to let your wrestling persona shine through

Community Q&A

Get an over sized beanie and cut the eyes and mouth out for a mask. For gloves, you can tape sponges around your hands. Tie a blanket around your neck (not too tight!) for a cape, and wear stretchy pants and a matching shirt with a belt.

If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.

Tips

Wrestle only with people you know and trust. Wrestling is fast and dangerous. You don’t want to wrestle someone who will do something stupid in the heat of the moment and end up causing injuries.[5]

Whisper moves to your opponent so they know what’s coming. If your opponent tells you what’s coming, expect it and prepare for it. This will help the match flow smoothly while keeping everyone safe.

Don’t try WWE moves. The people who do them have practiced every day for years and are paid professionals. You don’t have the skill or experience to execute them safely.[6]

Warnings

If someone gets hurt, stop immediately. You need to have them looked at or risk making the injury even worse. Be honest about what happened so the injured person can receive the proper care.

Backyard wrestling is fun, but can be extremely dangerous. Do not attempt any moves that could injure the neck head or back or attempt to actually hurt your opponent. This could cause permanent injury or even death.[7]